Disclaimers ‘n’ crap: Haihai peeps! Wow. For once, something big from me that ISN’T THE CRYSTAL JOURNEYS. Let me get one thing straight, right now: THIS. IS. NOT. IN ANY WAY. REPLACING. TCJ. This is just something new I’m trying. I’ve had a few other series outside TCJ like “Mystic Planet” and “Phantom Row”, but they were both closed-ended and would work better as RPG storylines. Also, they dealt with magic and fantasy. MTA deals more with sci-fi and conspiracy (the conspiracy part, I have a feeling, I may suck at). The concept first came to me when I was thinking about the trains having their own distinct personalities when I looked at a subway map and noticed that the 2 and the 5 trains always seemed to meet up outside Manhattan. So, I began to view them as “the runaway lovers”. Anyway, the concept grew and, finally, I decided to take a break from I Love the 80’s 3D and type this up. I OWN EVERYTHING. Enjoyz!

“Are they ready?”

“Of course, sir.”

Have you ever wondered where your New York State tax dollars go? Have you ever wondered why you see trains with the route indication all mixed up? Have you ever wondered who really controls the New York Subways? Well then, we’ll tell you.

“Ah! Marvelous creatures!”

“Thank you, sir.”

Just as his voice indicated, Richard Serph, known to his inferiors as “Express”, was immensely impressed with the sight he beheld. Just as his voice indicated, Dr. Marvin Ledger was very pleased that his boss was pleased.

“Just imagine the scores of strides in science you and your team have made in this project alone!” boomed Express “Bioengineered humans with the power to control the New York Subway system itself, thanks to the magic of nano-technology that has been infused to their neurological system. They are, essentially, living trains.” In front of him was a row of 24 hibernating people, each suspended in plasma and divided up by hair color.

“Yes,” said Marvin “There is one person for each subway line. Unfortunately, sir, this being a new field and all, we encountered some unavoidable flaws in a few of our specimens.” Express raised an eyebrow. “M…most of it is personality related!” Marvin stammered frantically. Quickly regaining his composure, he went on to show Express the results of his team’s experiment.

“This is the Redcode project,” he said, gesturing to four tanks containing a twin boy and girl, a teen girl, and a teen boy, all with shocks of bright red hair “The twins are One and Nine, the boy and girl respectively, the teen boy is Two and the girl is Three.” Express nodded along as Marvin continued his commentary. “I’m afraid that Two may encounter some issues regarding homosexuality later on.” He moved to the next batch of tanks.

“This is Orangecode project. The three boys are Bee, Dee, and Eff…I’m afraid that Bee may develop an over-eating problem and Eff may become a total jerk…and the girl is Vee. She’ll need glasses.”

“Very good,” said Express.

“Yellowcode project. The teen boys are Arr and Que…I see great potential in him…the younger boy is Enn…may develop premature smoking habits…and the older man is Doubleyu…bit of an independent one. Greencode project. The frail-looking boy is Four…the teen boy is Five…might hook up with Two someday…just kidding, sir…and that librarian-like girl is Six. Bluecode project. The short haired woman is Ay, the teen girl is Ci…might be a bit of a fussy one…and the boy is Ee…bit of a scaredy-cat. Purplecode project. There’s just Seven here. I have a feeling he’ll become a punk-rocker wannabe with that hair…”

“No,” Express burst out “The public must never know of our creations. They will only be allowed to leave their underground complex at night.”

“Right,” said Marvin “Because they don’t need sleep. Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, Seacode project. Again, just one specimen. Gee. She’s small due to the limited use of her line. Over here is Browncode project. We made them African Americans because their lines run mainly through Queens. Goodness, I hope that doesn’t sound racist. Anyway, the man is Emm, the girl is Jay, and the boy is Zee. And here we have…” There was a grim pause as they approached the last tank.

“…Greycode project. This is Ell. We predicted that he’ll encounter some emotional instability and become the lone wolf of the group. Especially when he finds out what became of his brother.” Express looked at him from out of the corner of his eye.

“…Yes…” he muttered “The severely defected one?” Marvin looked a bit shaky.

“Yes,” he said “Shuttle.” Marvin reached over to a control panel and hit a few buttons. A door slowly slid open to reveal a 25th tank. Express made an almost inaudible gasp.

The boy curled up in the tank had 3 eyes.

Just like Ell, he had pale grey hair and almost cherub-like skin, but he wasn’t the young-adult heartthrob that his brother was. He could be taken for “cute”…until he opened all 3 eyes.

He just happened to do that now. He suddenly resembled a soulless, mind-controlled puppet.

“Because there are three different shuttle trains in New York,” Marvin explained “We tried to fit his cerebral inner-workings to cope with split consciousnesses. In the end, we succeeded, but the three consciousnesses came out as more of split personalities altogether.” He turned to Express, a grave look on his face. “He will be the most unstable one of them all. He must be kept in his plasma containment. Who knows what could happen if he was let out.” Express paused, then nodded, smiling.

“You’ve done a magnificent job, Marvin Ledger,” he said, patting Marvin on the shoulder. Marvin smiled.

“Thank you very much, sir.”